Ruby Walsh: Five up-and-coming jockeys to follow on the Flat this season

The introduction many moons ago of the winter all-weather season provided a platform for smaller yards and lesser horses to compete but, a little like summer jumping, it also gave those new to the game, a chance to make a start and gain experience.

Apprentices were rarely going to be afforded the opportunity to ride internationally so when the big names are away, they have a better chance to play, and the opportunity to catch the eye of more than just their boss.

Benoit De La Sayette had a strike rate of 20% in 2020, albeit one winner from five rides, but in 2021, at the time of writing, that has soared to 35% with the young Newmarket-based rider scoring on eight of his 23 rides thus far this season.

They are phenomenal figures for any rider, but Benoit also has the privilege of being apprenticed to John Gosden. This former British and French pony racing star is shining bright on the heath at the minute and the connection he has also forged with Kevin Philippart De Foy is proving very profitable for both.

Kevin, former assistant to James Fanshawe where Benoit’s dad Geoffroy works, is also enjoying a blistering to start to his new career with 10 winners from his first 26 runners.

Both are young men making a rapid impression and operating at strike rates they have no chance of maintaining, but one can take the opportunities the other clearly knows how to find.

When you look for apprentice jockeys in the UK, my mind immediately turns to who is attached to Andrew Balding. Callum Hutchinson isn’t quite scoring at the Benoit De La Sayette rate just yet, but that coin has two sides.

He has ridden seven winners from a career total of 101 rides but whilst Benoit is sprinting through his claim right now, Callum is ticking along, taking his chances but also getting experience.

Andrew has produced a string of jockeys that would be the envy of most yards and getting an apprenticeship at Kingsclere must feel like joining the academy at any major football club for aspiring young jockeys.

Being taught to ride is one thing but receiving the education of how to understand the demands and commitments of being a jockey is another. Callum also has his father, Wayne, former stable jockey to Alan King, to fall back on for advice.

When the Heritage Handicaps roll around and top weights need to be claimed off, those without their own apprentices have often looked to the Kingsclere stable for a rider and that association can be worth its weight in gold.

Dylan appeared on the Irish racing scene in late 2019 and rode four winners from 33 rides at the tail-end of that season.

Apprenticed to Joseph O’Brien, on the recommendation of Sir Anthony McCoy, Dylan had a big reputation before he even set foot on a racecourse and his progress through 2020 was that of one being well tutored and advised.

Thirty-three winners from 268 rides were a good return for this former pony racing champion who will continue to soar through the riding ranks as he physically matures and gains the required experience.

His association with the ever-expanding yard of O’Brien will help all that, as will the competition for rides from the plethora of aspiring champions housed in Piltown.

Mikey Sheehy is another stable apprentice of note, and, of course, we all know Shane Crosse, denied a St Leger victory at Doncaster by a positive Covid-19 test but who gained some compensation at Newmarket aboard Pretty Gorgeous in the bet365 Fillies’ Mile.

Ben Coen won’t be 20 until September and his haul of 20 winners during the turf season in 2020 was down by seven on the previous year. But that doesn’t tell the whole story as he missed a sizeable chunk of the shortened season through injury.

A fall at Sligo and the subsequent broken collarbone put a stop to the Tipperary jockey’s rise, but a first Group success aboard Know It All for his boss Johnny Murtagh at Leopardstown in July has seen him promoted to stable jockey for what could be the biggest up-and-coming stable this side of the Irish Sea.

Johnny broke the €1 million barrier in terms of prizemoney earned for the first time in 2020 and 45 winners was also a seasonal best. Apart from a slight dip in 2017, Johnny’s year-on-year number of runners has steadily increased to a career-high of 325 last term so his stats would point in a favourable direction for Coen. Add in the priceless advice he will receive from his boss and 2021 has the potential to be massive for this talented young rider.

Jamie Powell is less known but is one tipped by some good judges to make an impact this season. Apprenticed to that man Murtagh again, he will undoubtedly enjoy the correct guidance and tutelage.

Jamie has yet to even ride a winner, but he hasn’t had that many chances either having had just 44 rides since he appeared on the track in 2019.

A first cousin of Australian champion apprentice Robbie Dolan, and son of the late Irish Grand National-winning rider, Anthony Powell, Jamie has the pedigree to match what many believe he has, which is simple raw talent.